


Queen of Asgard

by PinkPandorafrog



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aromantic, F/M, NOT a love triangle, fem!Thor, how did this happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/pseuds/PinkPandorafrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy finds herself agreeing to a political marriage to the King of Asgard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Darcy clung tightly to Jane's hand as the shimmery, mutli-colored curtain surrounded them. It was warm, somehow, tingly in a way that wasn't _quite_ unpleasant. Falling, she felt like she was falling, and then she wasn't. With a jolt that made her stumble, the ground was somehow solid under her feet again. She lurched a little, but Jane caught her easily, prompting a smile of gratitude sent her way.

“Darcy Lewis,” came from a voice that sounded a little like a mountain moving must have sounded like. The owner was a very tall man in the center of the room who had a very shiny sword that was fucking bigger than Darcy was. “My lady.” There was a definite tone of deference when he addressed Jane, which gave Darcy just the biggest grin. “Our king is expecting you.”

“Thank you.” Keeping her hand, Jane started walking, leading her out of the wide open room and down what looked like a a bunch of LEDs frozen in ice. It was surprisingly solid under their feet, and not at all slippery. Probably a good thing, considering it was overlooking _nothing_.

“You weren't lying,” Darcy murmured, staring at what was waiting for them at the other end of the bridge. “It's pretty as fuck.” Right at the other end of the bridge was a fucking _palace_ , surrounded by a city. There was water and a whole, whole lotta green growing things.

Jane smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Air quality's better too. Just saying.”

That was true, for sure. Every breath in was a pleasure, the air tasted almost sweet. “I wonder if Earth will ever get here.”

“I hope so.” There was a note of longing in Jane's voice that meant it was Darcy's turn for a reassuring hand-squeeze.

It took a good amount of time to walk along the bridge, and there were a metric ass-ton of guards between the dome-y room they'd Bifrosted to and the fucking _palace_ that Jane was leading her through. “Holy fuck,” she murmured, eyes wide so that she wouldn't miss anything as they entered the massive building. It was somehow all medieval-y, but super fucking modern, too. Like, 'We wear cloaks and ride horses, but we've evolved past your primative cellphones and laptops.'

“Right?” Jane looked over at her, a knowing look in her eyes. “It's worth spending a week or so just wandering around and looking at everything.”

“Are you trying to sell me on this place?” Darcy eyed her best friend in suspicion.

Jane's grin was her answer. “Part of this is selfish. I'm stuck here for eternity now, so... What better person to be stuck with than my Darcy?”

Darcy frowned at that. There was a heaviness to Jane's voice. She looked directly at her best friend, who was resolutely staring forward as they walked. “What do you mean, stuck?”

Jane sighed and her smile wavered. “Cancer. This...” She hefted Mjolnir in the hand that wasn't holding Darcy's. “Causes cell mutation. I get faster, stronger, I can call lightning... And cancer. I can stay here and eat the Apples, but if I leave for too long...”

Darcy stopped walking in the middle of the stone hall, tugging Jane to a halt beside her. Her mouth was agape as she stared at her friend. “Cancer? Fuck cancer!” Her eyes desperately scanned over Jane's face. “How are you remotely okay with this?”

The bitter grimace on her friend's face suggested that maybe Jane wasn't as okay with it as she seemed. “I've had some time to digest the idea.” She pulled gently on Darcy's hand. “We should keep moving.”

The rest of the walk was made in silence, Darcy kept looking over at Jane without making it look like she was staring. Jane just looked so _healthy_ . Long, shiny blond hair, sparkling brown eyes behind that mask, walking upright and all strong and shit. Well, according to her, she _was_ healthy, as long as she kept eating the Apples, whatever those were. But the idea of Jane having cancer? That was really hard to swallow.

“And this is where I leave you,” Jane said after a while, gesturing to a wide set of doors flanked by two more doors. “I'm sure I'll see you at dinner, if not sooner.” She leaned in and gave Darcy a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and heading down the hall, hammer swinging easily at her side.

Darcy squared her shoulders and glanced at the stone-faced guards before settling her gaze on the doors. Was she supposed to... Knock? Did she push her way in? Well, couldn't be _too_ polite, even if the person waiting on the other side was reputedly a bit of a dick. She knocked briefly.

“Come in,” came clearly through the solid-looking door.

Darcy swallowed and let her hand rest for a second on the ornate handle before pressing the lever and pulling the door open. It was heavier than it looked, and it took a bit of doing to get it open. She did, though, and stepped inside, letting it shut behind her.

Instead of the extravagant throne room she was expecting, she appeared to be in what she could only describe as a sitting room. There was a table with a couple chairs at it, and a lounge that faced a wall that seemed to be made entirely of windows.

And there was a man. And really, with the way he carried himself, there was only one man it could be. He was regarding her with frank appraisal, so she took the opportunity to look over him as well.

The first thing to notice was the silver eyepatch covering his right eye. White hair, a thick white beard that put Thor's to shame. The scars and lines on his face spoke of a life that had been hard at times. Odin _wasn't_ wearing armor, instead some kind of embroidered tunic and the same sort of leather pants she was sure she'd seen under dude-in-the-dome's armor.

He was standing by the windows, and he lifted one hand and held it out to her. “Darcy Lewis,” he said, and his voice was rich and full of _power_.

“Yeah.” She went over to him and put her hand in his. He was tall, and Darcy was fairly certain she was looking at Thor-in-a-few-thousand-years. Especially when he lifted her hand until his lips were brushing over the back. “Did you know Jane has cancer?” That just came flying right on out there, and was followed up by a wince.

“Yes,” he answered, no bullshit in his piercing blue eye as he looked down at her. “The frailty of your species. We do what we can for her. She is very determined to keep on as she is.” She could hear the open admiration, and Darcy's eyebrows climbed up her forehead in surprise.

“Okay.” She slipped her hand away from his and turned to look out the window- it was easier to face the beauty of Asgard spread out in front of her than the intense gaze of the man next to her. Jamming her hands into her pockets, she asked, “Why... Since my species is so frail, why exactly am I here?” She was fairly sure she had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to hear what he had to say about it.

“I desire only peace. It's been suggested that I would benefit from the counsel of someone who is of a very different culture.” She felt his gaze hard on her, lifting the hairs at the back of her neck. “You, you were specifically suggested by the lady Jane.”

Darcy blinked, shaking her head a little in disbelief. “And you accept whatever she says? That's not what I heard.” No, Darcy had heard _all_ about what had happened on Jane's first trip through Asgard.

“She is worthy.” The shrug was implied rather than enacted, he stood there just as stoically as when Darcy had first walked into the room. “You specialize in politics, in reading the interactions between others and determining the motive behind their words. My son...” There was a fond lilt to his voice. “My son speaks of you as possessing the heart of a warrior.”

Maybe tazing Thor was coming in more handy than she'd initially thought. “What do you want? What are you looking for with all of...” She gestured. “This?”

“An adviser. Someone who will speak honestly and give me counsel, perhaps even when I don't request it.” She heard the nostalgia and kept her eyes trained on the city below, giving the proud king a moment with his memories.

“Okay, so why get married?” Darcy asked after a second. “Why not just hire someone to sit beside you and yell at you when you're being stupid?”

“Such a person can be swayed, perhaps even removed from their position in moments of anger.” So he had a temper. Then again, Thor got a little reckless and angryface sometimes. Had to come from somewhere. “A wife is not so easily cast aside.” Again the nostalgia. He'd loved his wife, that much was obvious. Not that Darcy was feeling sympathy for him or anything. “I see a strength in you, Darcy Lewis, the same strength that my beloved wife possessed.” He was silent for a second, and she could feel his body heat as his hand hovered over her arm without touching it. “I do not offer love, I do not know if I am even capable of it after all this time.” There was another pause. “Or that I deserve it.” He sounded so... lonely. Fuck.

“What about sex? I mean... Girl's got needs.” Jane's face as she talked about the cancer seemed to swim in front of Darcy's eyes. “Would you be mad if I bump pelvises with someone else?”

“Provided you are discrete, I will voice no complaints.” There was a pause. “I do ask that you not cuckold me with my own son. You will have your own chambers, I only ask that you attend me when I have need of your counsel.”

Darcy was determined to think about it as a job with a name change. Well, not really. She'd be keeping her name... Right? _Cancer_. “So is the offer still open, or are you going to go with someone from one of the other realms?”

His hand closed around her arm, gently tugging it out of her pocket. When it was free, her took her hand in his, pulling her around to face him. “Darcy Lewis, will you be my bride?”

She looked up at him, meeting the intensity of his gaze. She swallowed, taking a moment to try and process. There was no processing this. “Yeah,” she blurted out, before she could overthink it. “Only, call me Darcy.”

Odin raised her hand, again brushing his lips against it. He kept ahold of it, holding it just below his chin. There was a slight smile on his face, but a look of sorrow tucked deep in his eye. “We will be wed tomorrow, Darcy.”

Tomorrow. She blinked up at him. That was awfully... tomorrow-y. “What about all my stuff on Earth?”

“As the queen of Asgard, you may come and go as you please, with an escort of your own guards. However, there is much to learn of our culture and history- I would suggest that most of your time be spent here.”

She stared at him for a second. “So... Get married, go back to Earth with a bunch of guys who will help me move my shit?”

“If that is your wish.” He sounded... a little amused, actually.

“They're not gonna tell me no?” Hardened warriors reduced to carting boxes around?

“They would not refuse their queen.” His voice hardened a little as he said it, too, like there was an, _or else_ , ready to be tacked on.

Queen. Shit. She blinked at him as the word really sunk in for the first time. That was... That was a lot of responsibility. Like, a whole lot. Asgard was a _planet_.“Can I, uh... Jane?”

He seemed to understand what she wanted, despite _Jane_ not being a verb. “Yes, of course. I shall see you tonight at dinner.” He was escorting her to the door, and then passing her outside with a firm instruction for one of the guard-people to help her find the lady Thor.

By the time they found Jane, Darcy was half-convinced that she'd made just the wrongest decision. The tear that slipped out of Jane's eye as she threw herself at Darcy whispering, “Thank you,” however, quickly reinforced that this was the absolute _best_ decision.

* * *

 

Dinner that night was quiet. Jane was there, Odin was there, Thor was there. That was... it. There wasn't a whole lot of talking, just a lot of measured glances and a grateful smile every time her eyes met Jane's.

The wedding, however, was a Thing. Like, a gigantic, national-holiday-style Thing. She was woken up with the sun, and there were gowns and shoes and make-up and hair and just... So much. Everything. Basically everything. Eventually, though, she was standing beside Odin and repeating vows of responsibility and duty and honor to him _and_ to the peoples of Asgard. There was nothing about love in the entire ceremony, suggesting that maybe this sort of thing wasn't exactly uncommon.

He was wearing armor that looked a lot like Thor's- Odinson's- did, just black with a black cape, looking very much the warrior king. He had a spear, too, a symbol of his kingship or something, it was all very impressive-looking.

Apparently Earth wasn't the only planet where sealing the vows with a kiss was actually a part of the wedding, though. The priestess-y looking woman who was doing the whole thing called the event to a close with a very benedictory, “As a symbol of your union, you will now seal your vows with a kiss.”

Their hands were clasped between them as they faced each other, and Odin lifted her hand, pressing it to his lips. He apparently had a thing for hand-kissing. That wasn't the kind of kiss priestess-y lady was talking about, though, and he gently pulled her forward until the front of her lavender gown met his armor. He pressed her hand against his chest as he bent down to kiss her. His lips were warm and smooth, Darcy discovered, as they touched against hers. It was warm, friendly, not even a hint of tongue.

After a moment, he straightened away, and he was smiling. There was pain there, though, a pain quickly hidden as he schooled his face once more into his kingly solemnity. Beyond them, cheers accompanied great applause, but Darcy could only focus on her _husband_. “Come,” he said, voice somehow carrying over the din despite how quietly he was speaking. “I will show you your realm.”

Her hand went into his elbow as they turned and faced the fucking _throng_ of people who had gathered to watch them get married. There was Jane in the front row with a watery, grateful smile. And Odinson beside her, expression somewhat bemused.

Odin led her down the wide steps that led up to the dais they'd been on, and through the people, many of whom spoke their congratulations and wishes for a successful marriage- and that was the word they used, too. There was a horse waiting for them at the end of the long marble-looking path between the sea of Asgardians, this gigantic black thing. Something seemed a little odd about it, though, and as they got closer, Darcy realized the animal had _eight_ legs. Eight. Four in the front, four in the back.

Before she really knew what was happening, Odin had grasped her around the waist and lifted her easily onto the giant horse's back. He swung himself up after her, and after an impressive buck that had her sliding back into him and grabbing at his arm for balance, they were moving.

The horse moved fast. Like, _really_ fast. Maybe it was the whole eight-legs thing, but it felt like they were flying. Darcy's hair was whipping back from her face, Odin had to be getting a mouthful of it. He seemed completely fine with what was happening, though, one arm around her waist, the other hand gripping the reins. It took a little bit for her to relax enough to pry her fingers out of his arm, but after she did, she grabbed her hair and gathered it in a sort of ponytail against the side of her neck. No use choking her new husband.

It took another little bit before she could look up from the horse's dark mane to see what they were flying by. Totally worth it, though. Asgard was _beautiful_.And they were... Actually flying a little. Like, over water and shit. That had her gripping at the arm around her waist, burrowing back into Odin as much as his armor would let her. Of course, given that it was the same unyielding stuff Jane wore, that wasn't far at all.

“Be easy,” he soothed, pretty much right in her ear. “I will not allow any harm to befall you.” And he sounded so fucking serious about it, too, there was a heaviness behind his words.

Darcy felt a pang of sympathy, she knew how Frigga had died. She made herself release the deathgrip she had on his arm, focusing instead on how bright and colorful everything was instead of that _there was no ground under them_.

There was already a feast going by the time they got back to the palace. Darcy was a little relieved to get off of the flying horse, but she tried to play it cool. The Hall of Asgard, as it was introduced to her, was _full_ of people. And food. And lots and lots and lots of booze. Darcy wasn't up for day-drinking. She'd tried some of the Asgardian mead before when Odinson had brought some to Earth, and it just _destroyed_ her. They knew how to party, though. The 'revels' were still going strong when she finally took Jane's hand and escaped to her chambers.

It had been a long-ass day. All she wanted to do was lie in her massive bed, all snuggled up with Jane, and talk about literally anything else. Jane seemed to be all about it, too, curling up with her and exchanging a few tired kisses as they talked.

* * *

 

Going back to Earth and breaking the news about her marriage was... Interesting. She hadn't really talked about why she was leaving before she'd left, or even really where she was going. She'd been almost positive that she'd go, listen to what Odin had to say, and then come back home, all unmarried.

Out of everyone, Nat was the only one who really seemed to understand. Everyone else's reactions ranged through shock and disbelief, but Nat accepted it without blinking an eye, saying something about sacrifices and honor. It was almost like she knew a lot more about what was _really_ going on than everyone else did- of course, that wouldn't really be a huge surprise. Nat always seemed to know a lot more about what was going on than the average person.

It didn't take long to pack all her shit and get it all sent back to Asgard, though. As promised, the guards didn't even bat an eye when they were directed to gather up her things and be packmules.

Nor did it really take long to get settled into life in Asgard. Her days were largely spent either at Odin's side being all official councilperson, or poring over the vast quantities of knowledge they had stored away in their archives.

It was _fascinating_ stuff, too. She'd gone through the books of mythology Erik had provided, but this was way, way beyond that. Entire days were lost, only ended when someone apologetically interrupting and telling Darcy that it was time for dinner or something.

Jane was frequently absent, off Avenging or saving one of the other Nine Realms or whatever. And there was usually a party going _somewhere_ , but Darcy quickly found she preferred a quiet dinner at home with her husband, Odinson when he wasn't hanging out with the Warriors Three and Sif, and Jane if she was around.

She got to know her husband, too. In order for her to offer counsel, they needed to respect each other, and she figured that wouldn't happen if they weren't at least friends. It seemed a little odd that she was becoming friends with the man _after_ they were married, but it was, you know, the way it was. She played a lot of chess with him, talking about this and that as they played.

“Okay. Why...” Darcy looked up from the computer-thing she was reading from. Information terminal, that's what it was called. “Why does everything have a name? Like, Mjolnir, Gungnir, Sleipnir, Hofund...” She stopped and looked up at Odinson, who was hanging out with her. He found her observations on his history hilarious. “Hofund? Seriously?” Her eyebrows went up in disbelief, a smirk spreading across her face.

His eyebrows came together a little and he shook his head. Where was Jane when you needed her? “It is a sign of great power and great respect.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Darcy shook her head and looked back down at the text in front of her. After reading on a little, though, her mouth dropped into a confused frown. “What's Odinsleep?”

Odinson was quiet for a second. “Perhaps you'd best ask my father.”

Well, that sounded like a good idea. Because from what the information had said, Odinsleep was an annual event where Odin just fucking checked out for a while. Like, an indeterminate amount of time, just completely gone from the land of the sentient. That would be a good thing to know more about.

Darcy stood up and looked around the room until she found the raven. It was sitting on the windowsill, watching her with one unblinking eye. “Take me to my husband,” she told it, and it alighted, flying straight past her and out into the hall, making her practically run to keep up. That was one thing Asgardians had over humans- proper athletic support for the well-endowed.

She usually had one of the ravens with her. She'd been a little pissed about it at first until she'd realized that Odin had a _lot_ of anxiety about her safety, especially since she was just a squishy human. It made him feel better to have one of his familiars with her, and it wasn't worth fighting over.

He was in what she called his office, looking at the same sort of computer-thing she'd just been reading from. He looked up as she burst into the room, his eyes relaxing a little at the corners when he realized who it was. “My lady wife.”

“What's- Odinsleep?” she asked between gulps for air, hands coming up to rest on her waist as she stood by the door, trying to catch her breath.

A shadow crossed his face for a moment before it was gone. He rose, coming out from behind the information terminal to stand beside it. “As King of Asgard, I have a vast amount of power at my disposal. There are times when I must use this power, for the good of Asgard. It takes a great toll on me.”

Okay. That made sense. He used extra power, so he had to take extra sleep. As she took a second to catch her breath, he held out his hand to her. When she took it, he guided her around to his chair and ushered her down to sit. There was a cup of something on the edge of the terminal, and he picked it up, setting it down again just in front of her.

Grabbing it, she lifted it and took a cautious drink. Wine, it was wine, delicious and sweet and cool. She took another, longer drink, then set the cup back down. She knew from experience that it wasn't as potent as their mead. “Your ravens are fast,” she said, voice a little steadier.

“They are.” He sounded amused again, that seemed to happen a lot when they talked. Darcy only hoped it was the 'laughing-with-you' kind of amusement.

“Okay. So, Odinsleep. Happens annually, right?” She turned her head to look up at him. “What happens while you're hibernating all snuggly like a bear?”

He took a deep breath, moving out from behind her to walk over to the window and looked out. She was a pacer, he was a window-looker. “When I sleep, I am vulnerable. I must be watched over to ensure no harm befalls me.”

“Okay. But what about the throne? Obviously you're not up to realm-management at that point, so... Is that me? Is that your son? What...” She spread her hands wide, shrugging. “What happens?”

“In times past, Frigga would stay by my side, watching over me until I woke.” A sad smile touched his face, his eye tracing the shape of something outside, or perhaps just a memory. “She was a formidable woman.” His gaze snapped to her, all trace of a smile gone. “I would not hold you to the same course of action. My son will mind the throne, he is to be king when...”

Ah. The whole king-thing. Odinson had declined before- although that was to _Loki_ \- because he was all, 'Peace for everyone!' Now he was all, 'I must become worthy again.' Which Odin had said the hammer would decide on its own, just like it had when he'd been exiled to Earth. Yeah, apparently it hadn't been _Odin_ deciding Jane was worthy, it was Mjolnir.

She got up and went to him, laying her hand on his arm and resting her head against his shoulder. He stiffened for a moment, long enough that Darcy was getting ready to fuck right off, but at last he reached up and patted her hand twice before resting his own against it.

“I'll go where I'm needed most,” she told him, although she wasn't actually sure what that meant. What were the chances that Odinson was going to actually want her advice? Then again, what were the chances that Odin would want her watching over him while he slept? Frigga was actually quite powerful in her own rights, Darcy had sass and the habit of running _towards_ danger on the off-chance she could help. Although... opening the heavy doors was hardly a struggle for her anymore. She grinned a little at that thought.

As though he could see it, although chances were pretty good that he couldn't even feel her face moving through the armor that he wore most of the time, he asked, “What delights the queen?”

“It's silly.” She shrugged, but there seemed to be an air of expectancy, so she went on. “I'm in better shape just from living here. Like, wrestling with the doors, walking _everywhere_ , sparring with Sif...” Odin had insisted that she couldn't be completely helpless, she every few days Sif would gently and thoroughly beat the fuck out of her.

“You are settling in better than I thought you would. Your species is highly adaptable.” Was that... a tone of approval? Odin was all about Jane, but Mjolnir had enhanced her, given her Asgardian-like abilities. Humans in general were only ever mentioned with regard to their frailty or limitations. He respected Darcy's mind, but he'd mentioned on more than one occasion that she was an exceptional member of the human race.

“Are you... Are you actually giving me compliments?” She straightened up, peering up at him with one hand pressed dramatically over her heart. “I don't know how to handle this. Are you feeling okay, are you going into the Odinsleep now?” He smiled at that, another smile touched with sorrow. Darcy sighed, pressing herself against him again, this time to give him an actual hug. Their relationship hadn't seemed to include a whole lot of touching to this point- other than the hand-kissing thing, he was all over that- but he really seemed like he just needed a damn hug. After just a second, his arms closed around her. She wanted to say something, but how did you comfort someone who had been married to the same person for thousands of years? “I'm doing my best, but I know I'm not going to be able to replace her- and I don't want to try. That's not my deal.”

“I have learned, my lady, that only a fool compares one to another, no matter if you address them by the same title.” Right. The whole Loki-Thor thing. He stepped back from her and waited until she was looking up at him. “Though I would be lying if I did not say that your heart is as stout as hers.”

Darcy smiled as she looked up into his eye. His piercing blue gaze no longer seemed quite so intense to her, maybe she was just used to it. His hand came up to rest against her cheek, fingers threading through the hair at the back of her head. And then his face was coming down towards her, and then he was kissing her, lips warm against her own.

This was... The second time they'd ever actually kissed. Darcy froze for a second before her own hand came to rest over his, the other resting against his chest. Eyes closed, she gave into the gentle pressure. It was only a moment or two before he straightened away from her, but she was definitely feeling a little light-headed.

Odin wasn't smiling, but his expression was considerably softer than it usually was, and a considerable amount of tension was gone from the area around his eye. His thumb brushed against her cheek for a second. “Is there anything else?”

“No, I'll let you get back to...” She gestured behind her to the terminal, and he nodded.

“I shall see you at dinner.” He caught her hand and lifted it to his lips, and maybe lingered for just a little bit longer than he usually did.

“Is that why you don't eat?” Darcy asked on her way out. She was at the door and just about to open it, but the thought had pulled her back. Every night Odin would sit at the table with her for dinner, but all he ever had was a cup of wine. “The Odinsleep?”

“Yes.” He settled down in his chair again, giving her a warm look before turning back to his reports or whatever they were.

* * *

 

 _Of course_ the palace got invaded, and _of course_ it was when Jane was off doing her Thor thing. That was the whole point, that Jane was distracted and busy. What better time to attack than when your champion was away?

Darcy was sitting outside in the warm sunshine, playing chess with her husband. The sound of shouting alerted them first. Odin straightened up in his seat, his gaze moving over the edge of the balcony as he seemed to look inside himself.

Suddenly he was on his feet, sweeping his cloak back over his shoulders. “Your guards will escort you to your chambers.” Brusque, impersonal. He was already moving towards the open doors that led inside, but Darcy jumped up as well and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Okay, I'm gonna need a little more than that.” She let him go when he stopped moving, her hands moving to rest on her hips.

He turned back to her, expression tight. He looked _pissed._ “We are under attack. Would you have me waste time speaking with you instead of defending our home?”

“Okay, two seconds, buddy. That took two seconds. Would you rather just fuck off without saying anything to me about it?” She shook her head, giving him a look. “I'm kinda, I dunno, queen here. Like, I know we don't exactly have some big love story going on, but I'd like to think you respected me a little more than that. Enough to let me know what was going on _in my own home_ at least.”

He stared at her for a second. “I will come to you when the fighting is finished.” His tone was a little softer, and he reached down and caught her hand, pulling it up to his lips.

And then he whirled and was gone, demanding that the guards at the doors keep her safe in a voice that very much suggested they'd be answering for it personally if anything happened to her.

Sighing, Darcy headed inside as well. She was the queen, but the guards listened to Odin over her, and weren't above manhandling her if they needed to get her somewhere. Not like that was hard. In better shape or not, she was still no physical match for an Asgardian.

Which was a big reason why, as much as it chapped her ass to go and hide somewhere instead of actually contributing to the effort, Darcy was going along with the plan. If these whoever-they-weres were actually a threat to _Asgard_ , then a squishy human was probably going to be more liability than help.

And it wasn't like she could give her guards the slip or anything. There were four of them, and they basically surrounded her. Otherwise she'd probably be tempted to try it, squishy human or not. Because... These were _her_ people now. And there had to be something she could do, other than pacing around in her sitting room.

Exactly what she found herself doing just a few minutes later. Pacing. Around. There were two guards inside with her, one on either side of the door, the other two had stayed outside. She could tell she was kinda driving them nuts with the pacing, but it was either that or sit and fidget, which probably would be louder and more infuriating.

Every completed track around the room seemed to wind her tighter and tighter until Darcy felt like she was almost jumping out of her skin. Every noise had her whirling to the door, tension ratcheting up when no one was there.

Eventually the doors opened and Odin came inside. His armor was a little scratched up and blood-speckled, his cheekbone a little bruised up, but he didn't really appear any worse for wear. His eye was flashing, though, gleaming with barely-contained _something_. Darcy was no stranger to the effects of adrenaline.

Which she was full of herself. She faced him squarely, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed as she glared up at him. “You know what I did the first time Loki attacked Earth? Do you? 'Cause it sure as shit wasn't hiding away in a room somewhere.”

“Leave us,” Odin instructed the guards in a deceptively calm voice. They didn't need to be told twice, they were _gone_ , the door shut firmly behind them. He made a big show of moving across the room to the window. Of course he did. The rational part of Darcy's brain was telling her that it was a little silly to be irritated with him for _that_ , especially considering she'd spent the last little while pacing, but rational Darcy was currently hiding behind amped-up Darcy, and amped-up Darcy had no fucks to give.

She turned so that she could keep facing him. “Okay, so I didn't fight the thing. But I _helped_. I rescued puppies and children and shit. These...” One hand left her hip to gesture behind her to the broad door. “These are my people now. I'm their queen. I would think, I dunno, maybe seeing the queen getting in there and helping out would be good for morale?” He didn't say anything, so she went right on talking. “You know what my super-power is? Not dying. Yeah. That thing in New Mexico, that thing in London, a bunch of things in New York...”

“You have not our strength.” His voice was loud, cold, and he was resolutely staring out the window like he was talking to it.

Frustrated, she gave her head a little shake. “Okay, so the guys that were here today, were they any, I dunno...” She gave an exaggerated shrug. “Any tougher than a Dark Elf?”

At those words, he flinched like she'd slapped him, taking his gaze away from the window to rest solely on her. “Those monsters were-”

“All around me. Did not die. Was not a damsel in distress.” Darcy watched him for a second. “I know my way around this place pretty well by now. I know how to hide when I have to. But I fucking _hate_ hiding and being useless when I _don't_ have to, just because my stupid-ass husband thinks he's hot shit. Isn't that why you married me? A different point of view? Well, my point of view is that there are different ways of helping out, and you need to take the stick out of your ass!”

“They were here for you, Darcy!” he thundered, the force of his voice shaking the windows in their panes. He _rarely_ called her by name. His eye was fixed on her, rage mixing with helplessness. “They were here for you because you are weak!”

“Weak? You think I'm weak?” Darcy closed her eyes and shook her head for a second. “Yeah, I might not be able to bench press a fucking car like you and those guys out there in the hall, but I'm smart, and I'm resourceful, and you can just take your superiority complex and fuck right off.” Her eyes focused on him for another second or two of silence. He had apparently not expected that. “I know why I'm really here. Sure, you trust Jane, whatever. I'm _really_ here because despite our frailty and whatever the fuck else you say when you're bad-mouthing my species, we're strong enough to be a _threat_ . We're smart enough to be a _threat_ . Maybe we'd lose, if it ever came to it.” Darcy shrugged again. “Probably. But we'd do a fuck of a lot of damage. And me? I'm close enough to the people with that potential power. Marrying me basically makes Asgard and Earth automatic allies, my people have been doing it for _millenia_.”

She snorted, shaking her head again. “Weak? So maybe I'll never be able to hold my own against Sif. Whatever. That's not what makes me strong, and you're just a fucking asshole if you're going to compare me to her, to Frigga, instead of evaluating me _as the person I am_.” He flinched again when she mentioned Frigga's name, and she sighed, her volume dropping and her tone softening quite a bit at the pain on his face. “Weren't you the one who said that only a fool compares people? Stop being a fool.”

There was a moment or two of strained quiet where he worked on what she'd said. She had to give him points for that, that he digested it instead of flying out with something else. “You are not weak,” Odin ceded, no longer yelling, though she could still see the tension in the way he stood, in how he worked his jaw. “My anger makes me short-sighted.” Which was probably about as close to an apology as she was going to get. “When I learned they were here for you...”

She went to him, close enough that she had to put her head back to look up at him. “I know you'll keep me safe. I know they'll keep me safe.” She gestured at the door. “I know that, as a whole, everyone here has been incredibly accepting of my squishy humanness, and will keep me safe. I need you to trust _me_ to keep me safe.”

His eyebrows drew down as he regarded her seriously. “I don't know that I can,” he said at last.

“Well, then I guess it's something you're going to have to work on. 'Cause if you're just gonna be a dickbag, I'll start spending less time subjecting myself to your dickbaggy-ness.”

His hand came up to rest against her cheek, fingers threading through her hair. They stared at each other for a second, time seeming to slide to a halt around them. She wasn't sure if she leaned in first or if he bent down, all she knew was that they were kissing. Lips met and parted, teeth caught, tongues tangled together until Darcy was clinging to his shoulders like she was afraid of getting swept away in the storm of all their pent up emotions.

Odin's armor was complicated and came off way too slowly. Her dress was much more easily removed, ripped a little in their haste. Perched on the very edge of the large bed, his fingers brought her release again and again until she was screaming, her fingernails raking furrows across his shoulders.

When he fitted his body over hers, she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him in closer. She clutched at his shoulders as he drove into her again and again, bucking against him. The windows suddenly banging open made Darcy shriek, the sound swallowed by the rush of wind that filled the room. It seemed to invigorate him, though, as he rode her like he was trying to break the bed.

One hand clutched the bedpost, the other was teasing at her clit. Everything felt more intense, just _more_ with the window howling around them. This time when she came, he stiffened above her, the roar from his own orgasm lost on the wind.

He settled on the bed almost right away, drawing her against his chest as the wind died down to the gentlest of breezes.

“Was that, uh...” Darcy swallowed. Her mouth was _incredibly_ dry. “Was that you? The wind thing?” Not like it really could have been anything else. The bedspread was smooth and cool under her body, her hair tickling across her shoulders. And probably in his mouth, though he didn't move it.

“Yes.”

They drowsed for a little while, but entirely too soon, Odin was pushing himself up, sliding off the bed. “I must go, I have tarried too long already.”

That was probably true. She wriggled to the edge of the bed and stood up as well. The armor went on a lot faster than it came off, and in no time he was lifting her hand from his side, bringing it to his lips. This time, however, the hand-kiss was followed up by the press of his mouth over hers before he turned and left. “The lady Jane should return this evening,” he told her as he slipped from the room.

Jane? _Shit_. Her heart sank.

* * *

 

The rest of the day was sort of a guilt-ridden daze. She was married to Odin and she'd fucked him, but what about Jane? Jane, who she loved. Jane, who she'd moved to Asgard for. It felt kinda like she'd cheated on Jane with... her husband? What even was that?

Dinner was uncomfortable for Darcy, to say the least, but her silence was mostly unnoticed as Jane and Odin discussed the day's events. Apparently if the attacking whoevers had kept their forces together, they might have actually been able to do something significant. Thankfully, they hadn't.

After they finished eating, though, she took Jane's hand and pulled her along to her rooms. Once inside, the mask came off, and Jane gave her a questioning look. “What's wrong?” her friend asked as she sank down on the settee.

Darcy should have known that Jane would notice. Even when she was caught up in science, Jane always noticed when there was something wrong. “I, um...” Darcy's eyes flicked up to the window, she could feel her face getting hot. “I fucked my husband?” Might as well just get it on out there.

“Really?” That was entirely disbelief, not the anger she'd expected, and Darcy's gaze flew back to her friend to see her brown eyes widen, a shocked sort of smile on her face. “Odin, huh?”

“You know, once you hit the thousands, multiples of a thousand are really just... He might as well be as old as Thor.” Darcy grinned for a second before making a face, moving across the room to sit down beside Jane. The cushion sagged a little under their combined weight, but it wasn't uncomfortable. “I dunno, I just... we're kinda...”

“Friends,” Jane said firmly, taking Darcy's hand between her own. The slim fingers were significantly more callused than they had been when they'd first met. “Good friends. Best friends. Best friends who occasionally make each other come.” She sighed, leaning over to rest her blond head against Darcy's. “I love you Darcy, but I really meant it when I said that I have too much going on for a relationship right now. You, your _stepson_...” She laughed when Darcy dug her elbow into her ribs.

“I just... Kinda felt like I was cheating on you. I mean, I basically moved here for _you_. Yeah, yeah, doing good, alliance with Earth, all that...” Darcy rolled her eyes, running her finger along the the crease at the base of Jane's thumb. “But you. I mean, you're my Jane. And you have cancer, and I love you, and... Sex with my husband was never part of my coming here.” She made a face again. “That felt so weird to say. But, like, I followed you all over the planet, why the fuck wouldn't I follow you off the planet?”

Jane's arm dropped around her shoulders, squeezing a little. “I appreciate that you're here, more than I can even tell you. But you're always living your life around other people. Me, the Avengers... Make your own life.” Her arm squeezed again. “And if that means you're getting some with your geriatric husband-”

“Hey!” Darcy smacked at Jane's thigh. “Geriatric- try silver fox!” They both laughed. “Besides, you know how the Presidency prematurely ages the President of the US? Imagine being the king of an entire planet.”

Jane made mock-scowly-face at her. “That's not a thing.”

Darcy nodded. “That's totally a thing, Jane. Totally a thing. Who's the political geek, hmm?”

The other woman grinned and shook her head. They sat in silence for a second, Darcy's eyes picking out the pattern in the plush rug on the floor. Jane took in a deep breath. “I'm not going anywhere. I mean... I can't.” There was a trace of the bitterness, but it was gone almost immediately. “But I'm not. And I love you, no matter who you're fucking. Besides, have you seen Sif? I may have...”

Darcy looked over at her friend, who was giving her a wide smile. “Yeah. Okay.” So they were okay. That was a relief.

“So...” Jane gave her knee a playful shove. “How was it?”

“Okay. So... You know Thor sometimes makes thunderstorms? Yeah. Apparently Odin's got this wind thing going on...”

They sat and talked for a while, until it was long past dark. “Hey, Darce?” Jane said from where she was stretched out on her back on the thick rug on the floor.

“Yeah?” Darcy was starting to get a little sleepy. It had been an eventful day, to say the least. She leaned over from the settee to look down at her friend.

“Why don't we get together tomorrow, and tonight you go and see if your husband will keep you warm? You guys had a shared experience, strengthen the bond and all that.” Jane was smiling as she said it.

Darcy's eyebrows rose. “You just want to go and see if Sif's around.”

“Maybe. But have you seen her thighs?” Jane sat up, leaning forward to give Darcy a gentle kiss.

“Yes.” That was an image worth dwelling on for a second. Shaking her head, she accepted the hand Jane offered her, letting her friend pull her to her feet. They shared another kiss, this one with considerably more tongue, and then left Darcy's rooms.

Jane walked off, her boots clicking down the stone hall as she moved. Darcy looked at the raven perched in a nook in the hall. “Take me to my husband.”

And the chase was on. Darcy arrived at Odin's office all out of breath, of course, and moved right over to him, settling herself down in his lap and reaching for his cup of wine.

He looked a little bemused to see her there. “Is anything amiss?”

“Nope.” She swallowed and set the cup back down on the edge of the information terminal, turning to look up at him. “But I'm getting sleepy, and I was all, 'Hey! I wonder if my husband would keep me company!'” Her eyebrows rose in question.

His gaze moved over her face, seeming to take in every curve of her features. “Of course.” He stood, his arm around her keeping her tight against his body.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this happened. I got this Darcy/Odin idea in my head, and, uh... It became a thing. Follows after [Worthy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3975031) (which is rated E for smut!)


	2. Chapter 2

“Don't look at me like that,” Darcy said, shooting a look across the room to where her husband was standing by the door. She swore she could see a twinkle of amusement in his eye despite his serious face. “That look's all, 'I'm gonna convince you to stay with orgasms.'” And to be entirely fair, he'd already given it a pretty good shot. He'd insisted that he had to bid her goodbye properly, which had involved some naked time on her bed.

That did get him to smile. “If I thought it had a chance of working, you would be on your back right now.” And despite that he'd just seen her _well_ -satisfied, her body responded, a hot twist of desire rolling through her belly.

“Odin...” She looked at him for another second before turning her attention back to packing her suitcase.

“I shall miss you, my wife.” There was a thread of vulnerability in his voice, something she rarely heard. They'd become... Close. He didn't sleep, but most nights he would hold her in his gigantic bed until she fell asleep, in addition to all the time they spent together during the day.

“I'll miss you too, but it's been like...” Her eyes narrowed in thought as she put a shirt in her suitcase and stared at it for a minute. How long had it been? She glanced back over her shoulder at Odin and shrugged. “Okay, now I get why the passage of time is so hard for you guys to track, but it's been a while, I know that. I just want to see everyone again and see how things are going.”

The look in his eye turned calculating, that was an expression she was more used to seeing. “Perhaps this journey would be of benefit to our realm. It seems past time we schedule a meeting with Midgard to formalize our alliance.”

“Yeah...” Darcy nodded, adding the last pair of pants into the suitcase. “That's probably a good idea. I'll see who I can talk to about that. Jane will probably know.” Jane hadn't been back to Asgard for some time, she'd been on Earth for something or another. “Have we really not done that yet?

She felt large hands settling on her hips. “No.” Well, of course not. She knew Odin didn't really want to go back to Earth, and he'd pretty much have to if they were going to do the whole alliance thing. He liked her well enough, and he respected Jane-as-Thor, but he still wasn't a fan of the idea that humans were actually getting strong enough to be a credible threat. They'd been an inferior species for so long, but now...

“Huh. Yeah. I'll talk to someone.” She turned to rest her hands against Odin's chest. “I'll only be gone for a couple weeks or whatever. I'm sure the realm will manage without me.”

“Your realm will.” His arms settled loosely around her waist, holding her against him. “Your husband, however, may not have such an easy time.”

She made a face as she looked up at him. “You could come with me, you know. Leave the realm in the hands of your son for a day or two. We never had a honeymoon or anything, and some parts of Earth are really pretty.”

His eyebrow arched in question, eye flicking back and forth between hers. “A honeymoon?”

“Yeah. You go stay somewhere you normally wouldn't, have a ton of sex...” Darcy considered for a moment. “Well... A B&B might not be a good idea for us, really, but, like...” She bit her lip to try and keep in a grin at the thought of Odin in a quaint New England B&B. “Yeah, no. But I'm sure Tony has something stashed away somewhere where no one would bother us.”

“Perhaps when we meet to formalize our alliance.” He regarded her steadily for a moment. “I am sending one of my ravens with you.”

Well, that wasn't really a surprise. She typically had one not too far from her even when they were just around the palace. And how weird was it that _that_ was a casual thought? “Okay.”

“No argument, wife?” He lifted a hand to brush his thumb along her cheek.

“Would it really do me any good?” The way his eye softened a little with amusement was her answer. “Yeah, didn't think so. Plus, don't I remember that you sent one with your son when he came crashing down to Earth?”

“I did. Heimdall will look in on you regularly as well.”

She sighed, reaching up to lay her hand over his, squeezing a little. “I'll be fine. This is where I grew up, remember? I didn't have a badass warrior king husband when I lived there, right? I've got this.”

Odin caught her fingertips between his finger and thumb, then brought her hand up to brush his lips against the back of it. Her head tilted back a little as he leaned in to lay a gentle kiss across her lips. She was going to miss him, he was incredibly intelligent, if stubborn as fuck, and talking with him was always fascinating. “Are your preparations complete?”

She turned to look over her shoulder at where her suitcase was laying open on her bed. Smaller, of course, than her husband's bed. It seemed like, other than just today, she hardly used it anymore, even when Jane was home she would spend most of her in-bed time with Sif. But her suitcase was pretty much packed. Toiletries, her phone that she hadn't used in god-knew-how-long and was probably way outdated. Clothes, actual Earth clothes. It felt like forever since she'd worn jeans. Asgardian clothes tended to have armor actually built in and, you know, _totally_ made her feel the part of the queen, but wouldn't do for casually blending in on Earth. “Yes.” She turned back to face him, nodding. “Yes, I am all set.”

“Will you ride with me?”

Darcy took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. She knew what he was talking about, too. Like, she fully had her own horse and everything, but he wanted her perched up in front of him on that gigantic black eight-legged horse of his that _fucking flew_. That was one thing she still hadn't gotten used to and wasn't really sure she ever would.

But _he_ liked it, and it meant she got to sit all cuddled up in front of him with his arm around her and whatever. “Okay. But if I fall off that thing, I'm going to be _pissed_.”

“I shall always see to your safety, my lady.” And fuck if that didn't just twist through her. Odin was... Well, he was kind of an ass. He had a temper and a tendency to get a little superior when said temper was up, and he was stubborn as _fuck_. But then he'd go and say something like that, and Darcy would get _feels_. He'd loved Frigga, really loved her, and while Darcy didn't feel like she was living in the other woman's shadow, she knew there was a part of him that would love her forever... And that there was a part of him that was fucking terrified for Darcy because of what had happened to Frigga, though he'd never really admit it. Especially, you know, with the whole squishy human thing.

“I know you will.” She looked up at him for a moment, but then couldn't help but make a face. “You go get your giant horse-thing, I'll get my suitcase all zipped up and meet you outside.”

His fingers slid back into her hair, cradling her head and tilting it gently back so that he could cover her mouth with his again. It wasn't just a gentle kiss this time, it was all teeth and tongue, and Darcy ended up wrapped around him like she was trying to climb him.

When they finally broke apart, she was breathing a little heavier than normal. Yeah, she was going to miss that too. Odin seemed to hold the belief that keeping his wife satisfied would make the other areas of his life easier, and, uh... She sure wasn't fucking complaining.

There was a sense of smugness as he looked down at her, but then he released her and strode from the room, giving her a flash of the guards visible outside before the heavy door shut behind him. Okay, that she wasn't going to miss. Like, she knew they were there _for_ her, and she'd pretty much gotten used to having buddies with her everywhere she went, but... Yeah, wasn't going to miss that at all.

She flopped down the top of the suitcase and zipped it up. She was going to Culver first to visit Erik, Heimdall would set her down inside the campus grounds. And she'd be able to change there, because while she might get a few odd looks for being dressed the way she was (especially in the science department), everyone would probably just assume she was part of the theater department and wouldn't question it too much.

Zipping it shut, Darcy grabbed it off the bed and went over to the tall door to her suite. When she pulled it open, she was entirely unsurprised that the guards were still there. They probably hadn't even left when Odin had been in there with her. Well, it wasn't like their sex life was any big secret, especially considering the high winds he tended to generate when he got really, uh, worked up.

She walked sedately down the stone corridors towards the entrance of the palace. About halfway there one of her husband's ravens joined her, and that wasn't really a surprise either. She still hadn't figured out how to tell the difference between them, but she was willing to bet that this was the one that was going to be coming with her.

Odin was already sitting on his gigantic horse, back straight and peering at the immense front doors. When he saw her, he held out one hand to her, and she sighed and went over to the horse. Doing this for him. Right.

She took his hand, and he easily pulled her up in front of him, suitcase and all. She settled the suitcase on the broad back in front of her just as her husband wrapped one strong arm around her waist. Soon they were moving, and Darcy couldn't help but stop the tiny squeak that escaped that she hoped was lost under the thundering hooves. Because even when they were on solid ground, eight legs lent to a very sort of gravity-free feeling, and, like, this wasn't like a car where there were sides of the vehicle keeping her in. Of _course_ Odin wouldn't let her go, but it was still... Precarious. Very precarious.

Sleipnir moved _fast_ , too, which didn't help the whole gravity-free thing. However, if did mean they reached the other end of the rainbow bridge in no time. Odin pulled the horse to a stop and quickly slid down. He turned towards her, holding up his arms to help her down.

She braced her hands on his shoulders, and he grasped her waist and easily lifted her down. Heimdall was there, because he was always there of course, giving them both an impassive sort of look. The sword was already in the big thing in the center, all he had to do was turn it and she'd be able to Bifrost back to earth.

“My wife,” Odin breathed, turning her attention back up to his face.

She looked up at him, at the purposely stoic expression. He didn't show his feelings in front of his people (except for sometimes the ragey ones), but they'd already said goodbye, right?

He lifted her hand to his lips for a warm, lingering kiss, then laid his lips against hers. While it didn't carry quite the heat the last kiss in her room had, it was more tender somehow.

When he straightened away, the look he gave her made her stomach twist a little again. “I'll be back soon.” He just nodded. She turned from him and headed up the stairs, suitcase clutched tightly in one hand. “Hey, Heimdall.”

“My queen.” With both hands on the hilt of the sword that was, swear to god, bigger than she was, he turned it and the rainbow bridge extended out through the high arch at the opposite side of the room.

With one last glance back at her husband, Darcy walked through the arch.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... So this is continuing. I sort of poke at it every now and again when I'm in the mood, so I will be continuing and I have a story arc written down and everything, but it might be a while between updates.


	3. Chapter 3

 Darcy regained awareness and groaned, one hand going to the throb at the back of her head. Only one hand was connected to the other- that would need to be examined in a second. Pain first. There was a bump for sure, but it didn't feel sticky or anything, so maybe no blood loss? That would be a plus. She'd obviously been unconscious, knocked out if the knot on her head was any indication.

Opening her eyes revealed a white, plastic ziptie securing her wrists together. Well, that wasn't safe. That could cause nerve damage if she wasn't careful. She was in a cell of some sort, three solid walls and the fourth completely clear. Some sort of plexiglass or field or something? Whatever. She wasn't going to try in case it burned her arm off. She'd seen enough bad sci-fi movies. She was in the wrong position to see too far outside the clear wall, just a ceiling with a couple ducts running across it.

She remembered... Visiting Erik. That had been good. Helpful, too. Apparently he'd _just_ signed on with SHIELD and was able to tell her where their nifty new base was, which saved her going to Manhattan and trying to find anyone there. And _he_ knew that the new Thor was actually Jane, which was good, although she seemed not to have told him about the cancer. Which was... Not so good. But that was Jane's choice, and it certainly wasn't Darcy's news to share.

Erik been a little taken aback that she'd married _Odin_ , the Allfather from the myths he'd grown up with. But he was a practical man, and the whole political marriage thing made sense to him.

And she'd been able to change out of her built-in-armor Queen of Asgard gown into a pair of jeans that were a little looser than she remembered, and a Hello Kitty t-shirt. Then she'd gone into town to get a rental for herself to head out to New York. Driving was like riding a bicycle or whatever. There weren't exactly _cars_ on Asgard, but she remembered the basics well enough.

Except she'd sort of been driven off the road? And that's when everything sort of got fuzzy. Probably when the bump on her head had happened.

“Ms. Lewis,” a man's voice came in to her. And not like it was through an intercom or anything, which meant that their prison cell set up was pretty damn good.

Darcy got up onto her knees, facing the clear wall. She swayed a little, but she stayed up. There were two people outside, a man and a woman. The woman was all done up in kick-your-ass gear, the man was wearing a well-tailored suit and looked about two steps away from twirling his mustache. They appeared to have been waiting for her to wake up, because the woman was _just_ coming back to attention again.

“Ms. Lewis,” the guy said again, and she really wanted to beat the pompous out of his voice. And it wasn't technically like he was wrong. She hadn't changed her name when she'd been married- that wasn't a thing on Asgard, Borson wouldn't really be accurate for her.

“Yeah. About that.” She sighed, sitting back on her heels and peering up at them. “You, uh, probably want to let me out of here right... now. Ish. Yeah.” She nodded, dropping her gaze to squint at the dull concrete floor. The lights were _very_ bright and seemed to be positioned right behind their heads.

“I doubt that very much.” He was condescending to her like she didn't know what she was talking about. The woman was staying silent, definitely the hired muscle.

Darcy shook her head, wincing a little. Okay, that was probably not good to be doing right now. If she had a concussion she was going to be _pissed_. “No. No, trust me. 'Cause, uh. I'm the Queen of Asgard.”

The guy laughed. The lady smirked. “Of all of the stories I've heard from someone in your predicament, I think that's the most far-fetched.”

“Nope.” Darcy shifted up until she was kneeling. She swayed again, felt all the blood leave her face as a touch of dizziness fell over her. Postural low blood pressure, she was going to have to be careful getting up. “No, that's, uh... That's a thing. And at some point my husband is going to walk into Heimdall's Observatory and be all, 'How fares my wife?' And Heimdall will see me _here_...” One foot went out in front of her and she tested her weight on it. Legs seemed to be okay. A bit shaky, maybe, but they'd probably hold her weight.

“Fuck, I hope this isn't a concussion. Anyway. Heimdall. If you're lucky, Odin will send Thor.” She pulled herself to her feet, staggering a little. Her hands went out and she tottered over to the wall as her vision narrowed down. Yup. Low blood pressure. It passed in just a couple of seconds, leaving her with a bit of a headache. More. A bit more of a headache. “If you're very, very lucky. More likely, though...” She took a step towards the clear wall, then another one. The guy had an expression on his face like he was humoring her. “More likely, Odin will come here. And he'll be all, 'Kidnapping my wife is an act of war,' and since he's already lost a wife- she was killed- and he likes me, he's probably not going to be entirely reasonable when he demands I be found. Or...” She pushed away from the wall, rolling her shoulders. Aside from her wrists being secured together and a bump on her head, everything seemed to be in working order. She settled her feet about shoulder-width apart. Probably not a concussion, given that the dizziness had gone when her blood pressure figured itself out, and there were no vision problems. Fuck, she'd been hurt this badly fighting Sif. “He'll come here.”

“They'll never find you here,” the man told her with a superior sort-of smirk that matched his oily, pompous voice perfectly.

Darcy sighed again. “No, you're not listening. Unless you've, I dunno, managed to distort space and time, Heimdall will see me. Heimdall sees everything. _Everything_.”

He arched an eyebrow at her like he was deciding for even half a second if he wanted to believe her or not. Not seemed to be the general consensus, and he lifted the tablet he was carrying so that he could look at it. “Come, Ms. Lewis. You have an appointment to keep.”

Okay, a sword would be good. Or, you know, not being zip-tied. But she'd make it work. They seemed to be under the impression that she was still Darcy Lewis, PR Diva instead of Darcy, Queen of Asgard. Which could only be to her advantage. No matter how good lady in the body armor was, she wasn't Sif, and probably didn't regularly have the shit kicked out of her by an Asgardian. And she probably wasn't prepared to be fought back against.

Darcy readied herself. The clear bit sort of shimmered, she moved forward right away so that when body-armor lady came in, she'd stop _at_ the partition. Sure enough, body-armor lady took a step towards her.

Darcy aimed a kick just above her knee. She _heard_ the bone break and grimaced- that sound wasn't going away soon- and body-armor lady started yelling as she went down, her hands reaching for the gun strapped at her side.

The guy booked it. Just immediately ran like he had somewhere he'd really rather be. Darcy fell forward onto the woman before she could get her gun out. More cracky noises as she landed against the woman's chest, probably ribs, and she settled one knee against the woman's throat to make her unconscious.

There was a gunshot that grazed her arm, which hurt like a motherfucker, but then the gun was abandoned and the woman just tried to push Darcy off of her. It didn't work, she was already getting weak.

As soon as the body underneath her sagged into unconsciousness, Darcy took a look around. She'd been shut in, chances were pretty good that the door she saw over _there_ was locked. Shrugging, she walked on over tried it anyway. Nope, totally locked. Maybe body-armor lady had a key? That would be good to find out.

There were suspicious noises reaching her as she knelt down by the unconscious woman. Yelling, screaming, that sort of thing. Darcy didn't know exactly where she was or who had her, but she was willing to bet that the panicked yelling and screaming wasn't an everyday occurrence. Which meant that Odin or Jane was probably there.

Body-armor lady did not have a key. Her happy fun lessons with Sif hadn't really extended to picking locks, so she was _really_ hoping that whoever was causing a ruckus on the other side of the door didn't have a bullet with her name on it.

Getting up from her position on top of the woman was a little bit awkward, and required more staggering than was pretty. But she stood up and moved over to the door, settling down beside it, ready to try and mangle whoever came through the door. The pain in her arm had already faded into a sting. She'd feel it later, but adrenaline was _fabulous_.

The door opened. The very first thing she saw was the hem of Odin's black cloak billowing through it, and her shoulders slumped in relief. She stood up, looking up at him as he came into the room, scanning it for further threats. Not finding any, he turned to her.

“Hi,” she offered. Odin did _not_ look happy. His gaze moved down to her arm and lingered there before returning to her face.

Fury. Cold fury filled his piercing blue eye. He stood there in his black armor, holding his shiny spear, and he looked over her like he was trying to see if she was injured further.

“I'm mostly okay. Just a bit tied up.” She held up her bound hands in front of her, and with one smooth motion, Gungnir had easily severed the ziptie. Darcy shook her hands, making a face at the pins and needles. Her thumbs had been starting to get a little numb.

Odin still hadn't said anything, so she reached up and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Hey. I'm fine. Bump on my head, this is just a graze that I can barely even feel right now. I'm fine.” She studied him for a long moment. “Are you okay?” Because he didn't _look_ okay. Under the fury she could see that thin thread of vulnerability, of worry. He'd been _scared_ for her.

He gently rested his spear against the wall and took of his helmet. Instead of setting it down, though, he dropped in on the floor. Darcy felt a fresh surge of adrenaline, she knew _exactly_ what that meant.

She was pressed up against the wall, his lips hard against hers. He struggled a bit with her jeans, though. “This attire is hardly suitable for my queen,” he muttered as she pushed his hands out of the way and got rid of them herself.

Any response she was going to make was lost when his hand settled between her legs, thumb moving in tight circles over her clit. She clung to his shoulders, lip caught between her teeth, until one finger pushed roughly up into her pussy. She stood there on her toes, head back, eyes closed, giving herself over to his touch. She cried out as she came, and whimpered when his hand withdrew almost right away.

He was busy with his armor, she saw. The breastplate came off, and then just enough so that his cock sprang free. Darcy reached for him, but he lifted her up against the wall, lining himself up carefully and then surging forward so hard the wall creaked in protest. He drove himself into her again and again, and then the wind picked up.

It howled around them, swallowing any noise anyone made. Darcy felt like she would blow away if she wasn't trapped there, pressed between the body of her husband and the wall behind her.

His head was thrown back, mouth wide as his shouts were lost to the storm. Odin was every inch a proud warrior, and he was _hers_. Darcy's body clenched again, her screams drowned out on the wind.

He was breathing heavily, his head bending forward to rest against the wall beside hers. The wind died down, until it was the barest breath of air. “You are safe,” he murmured.

“Yup.” Her hand moved over his shoulder, soothing motions over the tunic that hadn't made it off when the breastplate had. She really just wanted to hold him, wrap her arms around him and hug him until that haunted look in his eye went away. However... “We're, uh... We're probably going to have to talk to someone.” Several someones. Because she'd called Steve from her brand new disposable phone when she was going off the road and chances were pretty good that he'd be looking for her.

He lowered her gently to the floor and she started tucking her clothes back in place. “Good. I have several things I would very much like to say.” The fury had abated from his eye somewhat, but she could still hear it thick in his voice. So this was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odin doesn't deal with worry very well.


	4. Chapter 4

Odin seemed to know his way out, leading her confidently down a path she'd been too unconscious to notice on her way in. He'd probably Bifrosted in just outside the building and made his way through it until he'd found her. He was normally a pretty formal, proper guy, but he held her _close_ against his side as they made their way down, one hand on her waist and the other keeping her hand tightly in his. The adrenaline faded as they walked, and by the time they went down what Darcy hoped was the last set of stairs, her arm was throbbing and her head wasn't doing much better.

She stopped in her tracks, turning into him and sagging against his chest for a second, willing her heart rate to slow, at least a little. She felt his grip shift in a very specific way she was familiar with, and she held one hand up in the air in front of him to stop him from sweeping her up into his arms. “There's probably gonna be people waiting for us. I'm good, I just need a minute.” Because while she knew Odin _would_ carry her if he needed to, she was pretty fucking sure that he'd want to be able to have his hands free if they were going to be meeting other people.

“You must return home.” There was a finality, a determination to his voice, and she let her hand fall against the front of his breastplate with an audible smack. He probably wasn't even able to feel it.

“Fuck that. No. Just... Just give me a minute. Because if you think you're handling diplomatic negotiations on your own, then I think you're the one who got hit on the head.” Yeah. _That_ would go well. “I'm fine.” Probably less convincing with her cheek pressed against the rigid front of his armor, but she totally meant it. “Just need a minute. Hey, did you bring Sleipnir?” Because if he wanted to be all badass and intimidating, chances were pretty good that he _had_.

“Yes.” His tone indicated that it was kind of a silly question. Like, of _course_ he'd brought his gigantic, flying, eight-legged horse. Awesome. Because now she'd be expected to ride the flying horse, and given the way her day was already going she was probably going to throw up... And then more arguments about sending her back to Asgard, and on and on.

Darcy let out a long sigh. She pulled herself away from his breastplate and looked up into his face. Maybe whoever was coming would gave some Asprin. Or, you know, something from the restricted class of pain killers. “I'm good. Okay?” She reached up and laid her hand against his cheek, and he turned his face to kiss her palm. He didn't _agree_ , but he also didn't _argue_. So that was a start.

He offered her his arm, and together they moved through whatever kind of hallway they seemed to be in, out to where the double doors opened up at the end. Outside. No more stairs. This was the _best_.

Sure enough, Sleipnir was standing patiently off to the side, just hanging out and waiting for them. Gravity-defying gait aside, Sleipnir was pretty much the best horse ever. Best grandchild ever? Something.

And the Avengers were approaching like they were ready to go forth and Avenge for whatever. Well, Nat and Steve were there. And... Rhodey-as-War-Machine. And Sam? That was Sam, right? She'd met him all of once. And some red dude with a truly _impressive_ cape, and a lady in a dress who could only be described as 'floaty.' Huh. So there'd been a line-up change as well. How long had she been gone?

Jane touched down just in front of them, trying very unsuccessfully to hide a grin. She offered a slight bow in their direction, hammer held tightly in her hand.

“Hey, guys.” Darcy lifted her free hand to wave it, but that was the arm that had been hurt and she didn't get very far before she had to stop, grimacing at the pain. “Oh, shit. Remind me not to do that again.” She could _feel_ Odin looking at her with disapproval.

“There you are,” Steve said, a wary tone in his voice. He was looking at her husband with a sort of assessing look on his face. “We would have been here sooner, but there was a freak windstorm and it was too dangerous to get close.”

“Oh. Yeah. Freak, uh... Freak windstorm.” Darcy was very pointedly _not_ looking at Jane. “Wow, I wonder where that came from.” She heard a pointed cough from her friend's general direction.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, eyes shifting to her and moving over her like he was assessing her for injuries. He stuck on her arm for a second, then motioned to Sam.

Darcy felt Odin _bristle_ beside her and she let her hand slip from his elbow, resting it against the back of his upper arm. There would be plenty of time for bristling later. “Yeah. Uh, there's probably also a lot of casualties inside. Pretty much everyone.” She'd seen the bodies scattered about, hadn't really looked too closely at them because dead bodies still kinda wigged her out and plausible deniable was her bestie. “So, um, this is Odin.” Because manners.

“Your highness.” Steve turned his attention to some of his own crew. “Vision, War Machine, can you check it out?” It was a question, but it was also an instruction. The red dude rose up in the air and started flying towards the building, and Rhodey's face mask slid down before he flew off as well.

Sam was making his way towards them, and Odin sort of shifted, Gungnir coming out in front of him as he turned his attention to the approaching man. He didn't step in front of her, not _quite_. The gesture was pretty unmistakable, though.

“It's okay, Sam's a medic, he just wants to make sure I'm not going to bleed to death or anything.” The sleeve of her shirt was all red, as was a good portion of her arm. “I liked this shirt, too.” She heard Odin take a breath like he was going to speak, and shook her head. “And no, if I'd been wearing one of my queen-dresses, this still would have happened. I don't even think I own anything with substantial sleeves.” There was another snicker-cough from Jane's general direction.

Sam appeared to be keeping one eye on Odin as he moved to her side, gently lifting her sleeve out of the way. “Doesn't look too bad, you might need a few stitches, though. It's still seeping a little bit.” He gestured over his shoulder with a jerk of his thumb. “I've got a kit on the quinjet, I can get you cleaned up and stitch you up.”

“Uh...” Darcy looked up at her husband, registering the look on his face. “Sure. Just, uh... Room for two?” She'd learned quite early on in their marriage that picking her battles with Odin was really the best way to do things, and _this_ wasn't a battle she was particularly up for. It would be fine if he came with her. Sure. What was the worst that could happen?

Sam nodded, looking up at her husband for a moment before turning his attention back to her. “Sure, that's just fine.”

They started walking, they _all_ starting walking the direction Sam had gestured. Sleipnir stayed where he was because awesome trained steed was awesome. As they moved along, a quinjet shimmered into view, the ramp lowering.

“We should probably have an official meeting with the people of Earth?” Darcy suggested as they neared the aircraft. “I'm assuming that you might be able to facilitate for us?”

“Oh, yeah. Fury's just dying to talk to you.” Nat sounded amused as hell, and Darcy glanced over to see a smirk on her face.

Ah, the mysterious Nick Fury. “Awesome. Okay. So... SHIELD? Right? Not wiped out, then?” Darcy wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it would make meeting with one centralized sort of government body a lot easier. On the other hand, SHIELD was kinda... still on her shit list. She'd probably even talked some shit about SHIELD at some point to Odin, so that had the potential to make things more difficult.

“SHIELD's undergone some... restructuring.” Steve sounded torn between amusement and consternation. “Coulson's the director. You met him, didn't you?”

Darcy sighed again. At least she'd know one of the people she was dealing with? “I don't suppose he'd still have my iPod,” she muttered, mostly to herself.

“Thor,” Odin said, his voice sort of taking up the entire space despite the fact that they were _outside_. “Return and mind Asgard in my absence.”

“Yes, my king.” Jane offered a bow and moved a little ways off before the Bifrost Bridge came down and sort of sucked her away.

Darcy looked up at Odin, eyebrows raised in surprise. Jane wasn't staying? He met her gaze for a moment, blue eye impassive, and it clicked together. _Thor_ wasn't staying. Jane was probably going to have to be present because she was one of two humans who'd ever actually _been_ to Asgard. Her husband was not a stupid man.

In the quinjet, Sam got her sitting up on some sort of hospital bed/stretcher thing, and she winced as she watched him inject some numbing shit into her arm. It was agony on top of agony, but soon everything would be numb? And pain killers? Maybe? He hadn't _mentioned_ them, but... “Anything else hurt?” he asked, setting her arm gently against her side again, probably to give it some time for the numbing shit to kick in.

“Yeah, I've got a bump on my head.” Darcy lifted her other hand and bent her arm around to point to where the bump was. “I don't _think_ I have a concussion.”

“Okay.” He gently probed the bump, his latex gloves sliding audibly through her hair. “You should probably get that checked out, though.”

Odin had been looking around the quinjet in an appraising sort of fashion, but now he was glowering again from where he stood beside her. The sudden thought of him in an ER made her giggle. “Please tell me you have a doctor we can borrow then, 'cause uh, unless the medical system's changed too much, uh...” Oh, _that_ would go over well.

Sam smiled as well, his eyes trained on where he was dabbing at her arm. “Yeah. You'll be heading to SI, I'm pretty sure, but we'll be able to arrange something.” He glanced over at Steve as he said it like he was looking to Steve to confirm.

“Yeah. Hey, Darce.” Steve stepped into view, and Darcy _felt_ Odin bristling again, probably because he was addressing her so casually. “Your highness. SI is going to be hosting the... discussion between Asgard and Earth.” His eyes flicked over to Odin.

Darcy's eyebrows raised and she trained her gaze on Steve as Sam continued to fuck with her arm. It was starting to feel a little numb, that was nice. “Well, that was fast.” Like, she'd _just_ told him that that should be a thing.

Steve nodded, shrugging. “I got the impression that they've been expecting this for a little while now. Pepper offered to put you-” his eyes flicked to Odin again for just a second- “both up in the Tower while you're here.”

She turned her attention over to her husband. “I lived there for a little bit. It's not quite the honeymoon that we talked about, but Pepper will make sure we're comfortable, and taken care of, and all of that.”

Odin looked back at her for a long moment. “Is it secure?” If she hadn't been listening for it she might well have missed the little note of worry in his voice.

She nodded. “Probably one of the safest places _on_ Midgard.”

He picked up her hand and lifted it to his lips. “If that is my queen's counsel.” It was so weird to see him out of his depth. Like, obviously he was sort of taking over the quinjet with his force of presence, but this was _new_ to him, and unfamiliar. He was totally down with taking everything in stride, but there was an extra layer of wariness and uncertainty to him that Darcy hardly ever saw.

She leaned over to lean her head against his chest. Even through the armor she felt him stiffen for a second before relaxing, still holding her hand in his. “I could use a nap.” Because the adrenaline was gone, leaving her drained and just ready to pass out for an hour or two.

“You can sleep there if you want, no one else is using the space.” Steve gestured to the bed with a motion of his head.

“I dunno, can you fit a gigantic eight-legged horse on here?” Because Odin wouldn't want to be apart from her, but she'd honestly really rather take the quinejet than throw up somewhere over New York on the horse.

“Yeah. It's not any bigger than the Hulk.”

Darcy tilted her head back and looked up to stop the argument she could already see brewing on Odin's face. “This way I can crash for a bit and not have to worry about guiding you in. Plus a gigantic eight-legged horse is going to draw attention, it would probably be better if everyone _wasn't_ talking about us two minutes after we get there.”

That was the reasoning that won him over, she'd sort of thought it would be. “Very well.” He took a quick look around the cabin, then very reluctantly pulled away from her and headed back down the ramp.

Sam was moving her arm around, and she looked down to see he was just finishing wrapping a bandage around it. “The doc'll probably wanna take a look, but you're all set for now.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Sam.”

Vision and War Machine touched down and were heading on board just ahead of her husband with Sleipnir. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but they all managed. Good thing Sleipnir was totally down with flying in enclosed spaces. _That_ could have been bad.

Darcy took Odin's hand and pulled it to her as she settled back to lie down on the bed. “Stay with me?” she asked, looking up at him.

His expression softened into one of tenderness. He didn't tell her that he had nowhere else to go considering how small the quinjet was and how much room he had to move around, even though it was pretty obvious. “Of course,” he replied, and Darcy let her eyes fall shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updaaaaate! Exciting. Also the idea of Sleipnir as Darcy's grandchild amuses me immensely.


	5. Chapter 5

 Darcy was pronounced concussion-free, which was pretty awesome considering that she was almost positive that at some point she'd be wanting to get her drink on.

They were staying in her old apartment at the Tower. It seemed significantly smaller, though whether that was because she was used to living in an actual palace or being her husband sort of had a habit of filling up spaces was really up in the air. Could have been both.

Unfortunately she was going to have to go shopping. Because whoever had taken her had “disposed” of her car and all of the contents. Well, she didn't _have_ to go shopping, because Sif showed up shortly after they got to the tower with one of her other suitcases full of Asgard clothes. Which was awesome, because what she was wearing was totally trashed.

But she was totally going shopping. “Pepper's going to give us the tour of the place, and probably talk a little bit about what SI does.” Darcy turned away from the floor-to-ceiling window that stood just beside the kitchen, and walked towards where Odin was sitting on her old couch. It wasn't _quite_ how she'd left it, she was pretty sure they'd put her shit in storage and had carted it all back out for her. They moved _fast_. “I've already seen it. I'd rather go shopping. I need clothes-”

“You have clothing.”

She ignored both the statement and the pointed look he gave the floaty dress she was currently wearing. “And I need to get some food 'cause _some_ of us can't live off of that Asgardian wine you drink.” And had hopefully brought some of, because otherwise Odinsleep? She wasn't exactly sure what would happen if he stopped drinking it. It hadn't really ever come up before, Odin tended to stick pretty close to home.

“Surely the Lady Pepper would have someone to send on such an errand.”

She probably would. There was probably a whole department for it. Darcy finished crossing over to her husband and settled herself down on one thigh. His arm immediately came up behind her back to steady her. “Odin?” She looked into his face for a long moment. “I'm going shopping.”

He seemed to realize that this wasn't really a choice thing. “Then Sif will accompany you.”

She made a face. “Seriously? You know I used to live here, right? Like, went out for coffee and shit every day all by myself.”

“Ah, but that was before you became the queen of our realm.” His hand came up, his thumb brushing gently across her cheek. “The queens of Midgard, do they move about unprotected?”

Darcy made another face. Because he had a point, she just didn't _like_ it. And, of course, she'd just been fished out of some super secret base. Sighing, she looked down at the fresh bandage around her arm. “Fine.” At least it was Sif. She liked Sif. So much for being able to go places on her own, though.

“You are troubled, my wife.” Odin was looking her her, his gaze moving over her face like he was searching for something.

She sighed, leaning over to rest her head against his shoulder. “Yeah. I just thought, you know, come back to Earth, just be me for a while. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Asgard and I understand that, you know, the whole squishy human thing. Like, I get it. But I thought that I could just sort of be anonymous here for a while.” She was used to being Queen of Asgard _on_ Asgard. She just hadn't thought that much about being Queen of Asgard on Earth.

“You long for your old life.” There was understanding in his voice.

“Well, kinda, yeah. I'm just Darcy Lewis from the middle of Nebraska. And then when I left Nebraska I was an intern for entirely too long, and then a PR person. I wasn't really anyone special. Awesome, obviously, but not special.” She tried a smile, but it didn't stay for too long before slipping away.

“I understand.” His arms settled around her waist, holding her close against him. “My father Bor was King before me, and his father Buri before him. I was raised to be his successor just as my son was raised to be mine. You did not grow with the mantle of leadership waiting for you. It can be a heavy burden at times, even for those who are expecting it.” There was that edge of sorrow in his voice, of regret.

Darcy snuggled closer, nuzzling her nose into the side of his neck until his beard prickled against her chin. “When are you going to retire?” Was that even the right word?

“As soon as my son is ready to take my place.” A thread of frustration.

She had a sudden thought, and she straightened up to look into his face. “What happens to me when you step down? I mean... Obviously _you_ won't need my counsel anymore, so...”

“Offer wisdom to my son until he finds someone else to do so.” His eye flicked back and forth between hers. “You may return here if you wish. However, you are Darcy of Asgard, and I would very much miss you if you weren't by my side.”

She leaned forward to touch her lips gently against his. His hand pressed into her back to keep her there, and the kiss lingered on and on.

Finally she pulled away. “We should probably go and do this. I'm kinda getting a little hungry, and I could probably use another cup of coffee or seven.”

Odin took her hand and held it steady so she could slide down to her feet. When she was standing, he rose behind her and pulled her hand up to his face to lay a kiss against her palm. “Be safe, my queen.”

“I will definitely try my best.” She gave him a grin, and together they left her apartment.

In addition to having her very own Sif, Pepper provided Darcy with an additional SI security detail and a car so they wouldn't be taking cabs or whatever. Like, and she _got_ it, but it was still kind of a pain in the ass.

She really didn't draw a lot of attention, either, not that she noticed. A few glances, but they were more for the obvious security detail than they were for her. Sif was wearing Earth-clothes, but she was still carrying her sword of fuck-you-up.

She didn't get much. Food, obviously, enough for a few days. Some clothes, including an actual gown. Because she'd be wearing her Asgard clothes for the actual meetings or whatever, but there was going to be some kind of social thing beforehand so that everyone could get to know each other. At least, that was the way they always did it. Then again, Asgard was big on revels. Work hard, play hard.

* * *

 

“I have no wish to waste time at their revels.” Odin was standing ramrod straight at the foot of the bed, watching Darcy lean over into the mirror to put on her lipstick.

She sighed. “I know. But this is how it's done.” Smacking her lips together, she straightened and turned to face him. “It's how we do it. Everyone gets a chance to size each other up before you all go in there and yell at each other.” She smiled, smoothing the skirt of her dress. “Besides, it's an excuse to wear this dress.” It was a blatant attempt to distract him, and he let it work, at least a little. The black halter dress fell nearly to the floor, even in her heels. The top was clingy, the bottom flared out around her, and while the front covered up to her collarbone, the back scooped almost daringly low.

Odin's face softened as his gaze moved appreciatively over her body. “Ah, my beautiful wife. Perhaps the evening shall not be a waste with such company.”

She moved to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against him, her head against his shoulder. She'd long-since gotten used to cuddling around the rigid armor. “That's the spirit. Besides, you might be pleasantly surprised. Tony's the mastermind behind most of SI's technological advances, and I'm pretty sure Jane told you that Vision has an infinity stone in his head?” She seemed to remember something about that. There'd been discussions.

Soon enough, they were walking into a large function room that had been set up as some sort of cocktail party thing. Darcy's hand was firmly tucked into Odin's elbow, because this was definitely a time to be proper.

The room had a good deal of people in it. In addition to all of the Avengers and some former Avengers, 'cause that looked like Tony over there by Rhodey, and there seemed to be a contingent from SHIELD, at least she recognized Coulson. There were also a couple of the Einherjar there, as well as the Warriors Three. “Is Hogun here representing Vanaheim?”

Odin nodded, his piercing gaze moving across the room. Well, that made sense. Vanaheim wasn't quite as developed as Asgard was, but it would be good to sort of bring everyone in on this.

Jane was there too, standing with Sif and another woman, and Darcy _hadn't_ just seen her earlier that day or whatever. “I should go say hi to Jane. You know, it's been years since I've seen her.”

His expression softened a little at that, the twinkle of amusement in his eye. “Very well.”

She slipped away and went over to where Jane-as-Jane was, and gave her a gigantic hug. They made the appropriate _it's been forever_ noises. Sif stood there with a bit of a smirk on her face, because Sif obviously knew what was up. That made sense, though, they were definitely on an intimate basis.

It was time for a drink. Darcy made her way over to the bar. A young woman was lingering beside the bar in a way that could only be described as _hesitant_. “Some party, huh,” she said to Darcy as Darcy got herself a glass of ice wine. It was the closest she could get to the Asgardian wine Odin drank that she'd fallen in love with.

Darcy took the wine and went over to stand next to the other woman. “Yeah. It's kinda nice to relax, though, tomorrow's going to be... Interesting.” That was probably the most tactful way to describe it. Heads would roll. Hopefully not _literally_.

“Yeah.” The other woman grimaced. “That's the King of Asgard?” She gestured to Odin with her glass. “I've met Lady Sif before, but he seems a little... intimidating.”

Darcy's eyes rested on her husband and she smiled fondly. “He can be.”

“Hmm.” The other woman turned to her with a bit of a start. “I'm sorry, here I am being all rude. I'm Daisy.”

“Darcy.” Darcy offered her hand, and the two shook. “It's nice to meet you.”

“You too. I gotta say, I'm a little relieved to see someone normal around here. Avengers and Asgardians...” Daisy shook her head. “It's pretty impressive. Are you from the Avengers SHIELD base?”

She didn't really want to answer that. She couldn't exactly _lie_. That would sort of start this whole thing off on the wrong foot. A _wronger_ foot. But it had the potential for awkwardness that she'd really rather avoid. “Nope. I'm the Queen of Asgard.”

Daisy was looking at her expectantly like she expected her to announce she was joking or something. The silence went on long enough to become a little uncomfortable. “You're serious. But you're so...” She gestured to Darcy, shaking her head like she was looking for a word. “Human.” The hesitation indicated that may not have been her first word choice. “I mean, you are, right?”

“Yeah. Political marriage.” Darcy was smiling again, and Odin turned to look at her like he could sense that she was watching him. His expression softened a little and he raised his own glass to her before turning back to Vision. “Well, at least at first. Now we're...” Making windstorms out in secret bases? “Happy.” Their earlier conversation replayed itself in her mind. What _would_ she do when Odin stepped down?

An awkward silence stretched out between them. _This_ kind of awkwardness. Darcy stifled a sigh a took a sip of her wine. It wasn't the same, of course, but it was pretty tasty in its own right.“What's it like?” Daisy asked eventually. “Asgard, I mean.”

“Beautiful. The air quality is better.” That was definitely one thing she hadn't missed about New York at all. “But I think I'm one of the shortest people there. And the doors are really, really heavy.”

Daisy seemed to digest that, nodding as though she wasn't sure what to say. Yup. Awkward. Awesome. Maybe coming back to Earth wouldn't be such a hot idea. Not that that's what she'd been leaning towards, but there would be another big section of her life that _no one_ would understand. A section that involved a husband and a horse that was actually technically her grandchild. Yeah...

Fandral sauntered up just then, and Darcy almost let out an audible sigh of relief. His blue eyes were trained on Daisy, but as he neared he turned his attention to Darcy and offered her a bow. “My queen.” As he straightened his eyes flicked back to Daisy, obviously angling for an introduction.

Which she was more than happy to provide. “Hey, Fandral. This is Daisy. Daisy, this is Fandral. He's one of Asgard's best warriors.” And biggest flirts, but she was happy to let Daisy figure that out on her own.

She excused herself from being the third wheel and stepped away from the bar, holding her wine glass in one hand. A glance around the room showed that everyone seemed to be mingling pretty well. There was even a lot of mixing with the different groups, Tony had joined Vision and Odin and seemed to be carrying on quite an animated conversation. Sif and Jane were talking to Coulson and a woman that Darcy hadn't met yet.

Hogun was standing off to one side, though, his eyes looking out over the lights of New York at night. Darcy moved over to him, the noise from her heels against the hard floor lost in the gentle murmur of many conversations happening at once.

He turned as she approached and offered her the same bow Fandral had. “My queen.”

“Hey.” She stepped up beside her, looking out over the city as well. It was very different than what she was used to seeing from her balcony, colder somehow, although maybe that was just because of the day she'd had. “You were on Vanaheim for a while not that long ago. What was it like?”

He looked down at her, and she could see the knowing commiseration move through his eyes. He took a moment to think before speaking. “Vanaheim is the place of my birth, and I will always love it. Asgard...” Another long pause, and his eyes filled with warmth. “Asgard is my home.”

She nodded. She could see that.

Hogun was bowing again, and she turned to see Odin had walked up behind them. He waited until Hogun had excused himself, then lifted Darcy's hand and brought it to his lips, lingering for probably longer than what was proper in public. “Are you well, wife?” His eye searched her face.

She sighed. “It's just been a long day, you know?” What she didn't say was that she was homesick, and that the problem was that she didn't know where home was anymore. It wasn't here, it wasn't the Tower or the apartment that she lived in. “I'm fine. Later, though, later I'm just gonna want you to hold me for a while.”

To her complete surprise, his free arm came around her waist, pulling her forward until her head was resting against his chest. She was so shocked that it took her a second to respond, but she put her arms around his waist, under his cloak, closing her eyes like they were the only people in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy feels like a fish out of water. Another update! EEEEEE!!!


	6. Chapter 6

The last time Darcy had sat at this table, she was taking notes for a press release. Now she was sitting to Odin's left and they were kind of the focus of the meeting. There were a lot of other people all gathered around the table besides all of the Asgardians. Steve and Nat were there. Tony. Maria, Pepper, and the SHIELD contingent that included both Coulson and Daisy.

Odin was looking out over the assembled people, exuding presence like he was taking up the entire room. She could see the anger in the tightness of the lines on his face, the set of his shoulders under his armor. Yup. This was gonna be super fun. They'd all already been introduced, and now everyone was waiting for him to speak.

Odin's fist came down against the table, and Darcy closed her eyes for a long moment. This was just about what she was expecting. “Kidnapping the Queen is an act of war.” He wasn't yelling, not _quite_ , but his voice was definitely a little raised.

Opening her eyes, Darcy took a deep breath and rearranged her skirt for something to do with her hands. Her back was stiff against the back of the chair. Everyone was kinda looking at her, Jane was giving her sympathy face. She wished she had a phone that texted. Not that probably texting during the meeting would be a good call on her part.

“We have only ever shown Midgard kindness, even offered much aid over the recent years and in times past.” Odin glared around the table. “I have no doubt that you knew the very moment the Queen set foot on your realm, and yet this was allowed to happen.” Not just anger, frustration. He was still battling his inner demons about Darcy being kidnapped and was kinda taking it out on everyone else.

She reached over and rested her hand on top of his fist, and he unclenched his fingers enough to capture her fingertips in a loose hold.

“We did,” Coulson admitted evenly. He was seated across the table from them, his hands loosely clasped on the wooden surface in front of him. “We're a little short-staffed right now. If we'd been warned ahead of time then we could have had a security team ready to go by the time Ms. Lewis-”

“The Queen of Asgard,” Odin interrupted, his piecing, cold glare fixed directly on Coulson.

“The Queen of Asgard,” Coulson corrected smoothly, “touched down. As it was, once we located the Queen of Asgard we had a team assembled to facilitate her release, but their progress was impeded by an abnormal weather phenomenon.” And by the look on his face, he was totally willing to pin that directly on Odin even though he had no way of knowing it was Odin's doing. It totally was, though.

“I called Steve when my car went off the road,” Darcy said quietly. “And I'd already been here a few hours when I got taken... wherever I got taken.” She still hadn't actually found out _where_ she'd been. She'd been there overnight, it had been late afternoon when she'd left Culver. “I understand it taking some time to relocate me after they snatched me, because obviously they wouldn't want to be found, but Culver's actually in Virginia.” Where Coulson's base of operations was. “What I think happened was that... Well, not only did you not expect anyone to try and grab me, 'cause let's be honest, I didn't either, but you underestimated, I dunno. My relationship with the Allfather? My position?” She heard Odin take a breath to say something, so she hurried on. “We realize that we probably should have come down here to do this sooner, and clear up any misconceptions or questions about our union and what this means with regards to how we wish to deal with Earth, but that's why we're here now.”

“If you're so damn important, why didn't you have your own security detail?” Fury asked. He was lounged back in his own chair, his arms folded across his chest.

“That's my fault,” Darcy rushed to say as Odin was drawing himself up for another no-doubt loud response. “I thought I could kinda be anonymous for a while. I mean, I was, but that kinda wasn't helpful.” Yeah, they'd had no idea who she was and had been pretty determined to stay that way. “So, you know, poor decisions all around. Going forward, though, I think we'll all adjust our expectations appropriately.”

Odin squeezed her fingers in his. She looked over at him, noticed that his face had softened a little bit. He was giving her a pointed look, though. She'd used the word _all_ , and he was probably wondering if she'd included herself on that list. She gave him the barest hint of a nod, and he relaxed a little bit more. He still wasn't entirely happy, but at least he didn't look like he was going to grab Gungnir and just start skewering people.

“Why would you marry a young woman from Earth?” Fury asked, his eye trained on Odin. The statement itself was mild enough, but it was laced with so much undertone that Darcy didn't know where to start. The age thing, the Earth thing...

Odin looked back for a moment, face stern. “I've been made to understand that political marriages aren't uncommon on Midgard. Asgard has long been allied with Vanaheim and Alfheim, such a union with your realm would be symbolic of our intentions.” He glanced over at Darcy and his expression softened a little, making her smile. “The Queen was recommended by those familiar with your realm, and with the lady in question.”

Odin had mentioned Odinson saying something about her having the heart of a warrior, but had he actually recommended her too? That was probably something to ask him at some point.

Jane was wearing a small smile. She'd been up front with Darcy that she'd put her name into the hat for this position. At the time Darcy had thought about it as more of a long-term job position, but now?

Fury nodded. It obviously made sense. “I'm sure there would have been someone with more... experience you could have chosen, though. Maybe someone with a better understanding of our military operations.” His gaze flicked along the table, first to Nat and then to the woman from SHIELD that Darcy had just been introduced to not that long ago. Agent May? That sounded right.

“The Queen-” some of the anger was back in Odin's voice, the metaphorical chill causing an actual shiver to run down Darcy's spine. “- has precisely the perspective I seek. Only a fool surrounds himself with counselors of the very same opinion as himself.” It was basically a challenge, Odin might as well just have pulled his pants down and dropped his penis on the table.

Fury was smiling, though, the expression poorly hidden as he rubbed his hand across his face. The question seemed to be dropped, no penises necessary.

Things went a lot more smoothly from there. Odin talked a little about Asgard and sort of what they were capable of. The idea of Heimdall being able to see _everything_ kinda made a few glances go around the table, but no one said anything. He made it very clear that while he would continue having Thor active on Midgard, and possibly send some of the Einherjar if necessary, he was not willing to discuss a trade agreement at this time. Which was perfectly okay with Coulson and Fury, although Darcy was willing to bet it would come up again at some point. Because Asgard was technologically _so far_ ahead of Earth, it wasn't even funny.

SHIELD went through what was going on with them as well, and the state of the Earth in general. Most of that _wasn't_ news, Jane was pretty good on keeping them up on things that were globally relevant.

Darcy was more than ready for a break when Pepper intruded to suggest that they should take a quick recess for coffee or whatever. SI was acting as the neutral host party, which was probably a good call, all things considered.

She still remembered her way around the place pretty well, despite it having been about three years since she'd been there. After getting herself a cup of coffee, Darcy moved down to hall to where a slightly smaller room opened up onto a balcony on the outside wall.

She wasn't entirely surprised to hear the heavy, booted feet of her husband stepping out onto the concrete behind her. He'd been talking to Sif when she'd left the conference room, but he'd apparently come after her.

She looked back at him, a slight smile on her face, and he stepped up beside her where she was standing at the railing, looking out over the city. It was an overcast day, and she could see the thicker gray off in the distance that could only mean rain. “It seems to be going pretty well.” Not that it was over. She knew that Odin still wanted to discuss the people who called themselves “inhumans,” and then there would be a whole lot of actual official papers to read through and sign, probably the following day when everything was all typed up or whatever.

His hand rested against the small of her back. “You seem ill at ease.” Perceptive, yup. Odin had that quality in spades.

She made a face. “This just kinda isn't how I imagined my week going. Like, vacation, maybe? But now I'm all in there being all official in my dress instead of sitting in some fast food joint some place in my yoga pants.” She looked up at him to see his eyebrow twitch. “Don't even, I saw you checking out my ass yesterday.” She'd changed into a pair of yoga pants as soon as she got back to the Tower, and he hadn't been able to stop staring.

“Are you going to extend your stay beyond this summit?” She could hear the thread of amusement in his voice.

Darcy let out a long sigh. “I don't know.”

“Sif is prepared to stay as long as you wish.”

Right. The whole guard thing. She turned around, leaning her back against the tall railing, and looked up into Odin's face. His hand fell to rest on her hip, and he shifted over until he was standing in front of her. “I don't think so. If I have to be the Queen of Asgard, I'd rather do it _on_ Asgard.” Where the air quality was better, the rooms were bigger, and she wasn't worried about breaking the furniture if Odin even looked at her too hard. “Just, we're getting sushi before we go back.”

He actually cracked a smile at that, like an actual smile that turned up the corners of his lips and eased the lines around his eye. His other hand settled on her other hip and he bent down until his lips touched gently against hers.

“Hey, Darce-” Steve's voice broke into the moment, pulling them apart. “Excuse me, I didn't, uh...”

All traces of amusement were gone from Odin's face as he straightened away from her. He studied her face for a moment. “I shall await you inside.”

She nodded, watching as he stepped around Steve and walked back into the small room just past where they were standing. Her attention moved to the other man now standing awkwardly just outside on the concrete floor of the balcony. “Hey, Steve. What's up?”

He looked around as if he was expecting more Asgardians to pop out of nowhere, then turned his attention back to her face. “I was just wondering what happened to Thor?”

Darcy opened her eyes a little wider, the picture of innocence. “She went back to Asgard.” And then Bifrosted back down somewhere, but whatever.

Steve shook his head, frowning a little. “No, I mean... The old Thor. Odin's son?”

“He's taking care of things while we're here.” Not that he was exactly happy about it. He said that sitting on the throne reminded him that he was no longer worthy. Maybe Darcy would suggest that he come down for a visit when he got back, 'cause it sounded like they would all want to see him again. He'd probably lost track of time just like she had, and hadn't realized it had been so long since he'd been on Earth. “That's actually his name now, by the way. Odinson.”

Steve nodded, digesting that. “How are you?” he asked after a second, his eyes moving over her face. “You look good. I mean, you seem pretty happy.”

She smiled. “Yeah. It took a bit of getting used to, but it's good. Plus I've never been kidnapped on Asgard, so that's a plus.” He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but she shook her head. “Dude, totally not your fault. I was actually on my way out to see you guys, but...” She made a face. “Well, it all worked out, I guess. I'm here. You're here. Uh, I think I'm doing sushi tonight with Odin-” Not that he'd actually _eat_ it, but a bit of culture would be good for him. Going out and seeing how humans did. “- but we should do breakfast or something tomorrow. And Nat.”

Speaking of Nat, she poked her head out the still-open balcony door. “We're getting ready to get started again, I think.”

Darcy nodded, draining her coffee, before picking up her skirt and heading back inside.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darcy handling her business. *nod*


	7. Chapter 7

“Oh my god, you just want in Daisy's pants. Back in Daisy's pants?” Fandral opened his mouth to answer, a smile moving across his face, and Darcy held up her hand to stop him. “No. Don't tell me. That way when Coulson bitches about you having seduced one of his best and brightest I can be all, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'” Plausible deniability was the _best_.

Fandral closed his mouth again, giving her a short bow, his smile spreading into a grin. “As you wish.” He'd been pretty flirty with _her_ the first time they'd met, but he seemed to consider her completely off limits now. Not that she was interested.

“Before you go, there's something I almost forgot.” Darcy turned her attention up to where Heimdall was standing in the middle of the dome-y room watching them impassively. “Where you able to find him?”

“Yes, my queen.” No matter how often she heard it, she was never quite prepared for just how much the Gatekeeper's voice sounded exactly like a mountain shifting. The large man turned his attention to Fandral and gave him what sounded more like a location than an actual address. Whatever. Just as long as Fandral knew what he was talking about and would be able to find it. Or he'd be able to tell Steve and Steve would.

When they'd gone out for breakfast, Steve had let slip that he was looking for his bestest-buddy-slash-love-interest-forever, and Darcy had been all, “I can help you with that!” Well, _she_ couldn't but she totally knew someone who could. And the second she and Odin had returned to Asgard, she'd asked Heimdall to locate James Buchanan Barnes. Complete with a picture on her new phone so that he would actually be able to identify the man on sight if he wasn't familiar with the name.

And now Fandral was heading down to Earth to be a diplomat. The Ambassador or whatever, SHIELD had wanted one and he'd volunteered. For a while, anyway, he'd probably want to come back at some point. Asgard and associated realms were at peace, for the time being, and Odin saw a lot of wisdom in having someone trustworthy on Earth on a more permanent basis than Jane was able to be, where so many of the Infinity Stones had been turning up.

They were also going to be expecting their own Ambassador from Earth at some point in the near future, as soon as SHIELD got their shit together and decided who that was actually going to be. Odin wasn't exactly pleased about having _another_ squishy human hanging out on Asgard, but he'd seen the merit in it.

Fandral turned to the small group of his friends who were standing by the edge of the room. When he went to them there was much embracing and clapping of shoulders, leather creaking and metal clashing mutely together as they all said goodbye.

The voices died down, and when he turned back to Heimdall the Gatekeeper was already turning his sword in the big thingy in the center and making the rainbow bridge extend out from one of the archways.

Fandral looked at Darcy, bringing his fist to his chest and bowing to her. “My queen.” And then he was gone, his cloak billowing jauntily as he walked down the rainbow bridge and off into space. He'd be able to get messages to them through Heimdall, but Tony had mentioned he was going to work on some sort of interplanetary communication system. The only trick would be regressing Asgard's technology to make it work, but that was something to worry about at a later date.

Sif, Hogun, Volstagg, and Odinson moved out of the dome-y room in the opposite direction, heading leisurely along the Bifrost to where the palace loomed up in the bright sunshine at the end. Darcy followed after them at a much slower pace. She really didn't have anywhere to be. It was nice to be out in the sunshine, just... Enjoying being on Asgard.

As she moved down the bridge, she could see Jane walking towards her. All done up as Thor, of course, mask properly in place so that no one who wasn't supposed to know who she was would find out. “How are you?” she asked as she neared the other woman.

Jane smiled, reaching out to take Darcy's hand. “Better. I probably shouldn't be away from Asgard for so long again.” The first thing she'd done on returning had been helping herself to one of the Apples that kept the cancer from taking over her body. She'd been gone for a long time, and her body had started to suffer for it.

Hand in hand they ambled along the bridge, their arms swaying slightly back and forth between them. “You look happier,” Jane observed after a little bit.

“Do I?” Darcy looked over to see her friend nod, then considered for a second, tucking her hand deep into the pocket of her dress. Asgard really was the shit when it came to clothes for women. Supportive sports bras, clothes with pockets, and actual pockets, not just those shallow things that were obviously just there to be able to say something _had_ pockets, even though they couldn't really hold anything. “I guess I am. I dunno.”

“What is it?” Jane prodded after a while.

Darcy came to a stop, and when Jane did as well, she turned to face her friend. It was impossible not to notice the way the sun was shining off of Jane's brilliantly blonde hair. “What are the chances that they'll let you be the Ambassador to Asgard?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Not happening. They think my scientific efforts are too valuable to consider. I asked about it. It made sense, I'm one of two humans who's ever actually been here. Of course, I didn't tell them that most of my research has been done here. I guess SHIELD will probably find out at some point.”

Darcy made a face. “Yeah, I guess that doesn't surprise me.” She hesitated, looking at the other woman for a long moment. “If I were to ask you where your home was, what would you say?”

Jane's eye shifted like it did when she was raising her eyebrow, even though the actual motion itself was lost behind the mask. “I don't know. Here, I guess.”

Darcy nodded. That had pretty much been the answer she'd been expecting. “But is that because it has to be because of the cancer, or...”

“Well...” Jane took in a deep breath and sighed. “I don't know. I don't think so. If I didn't have to worry about the cancer, would I go back to Earth?” Darcy watched her friend, eyebrows raised as she waited for the answer. “I don't think so. You're here. Sif is here.” She grinned, and Darcy couldn't help but smile in response. “I'm learning so much more here than I could ever hope to on Earth, it's amazing! Every so often I get a craving for a smoothie and it's nice to visit, but coming here is always coming home.”

“We should make smoothies here. I could go for a smoothie. I bet one of the engineers around here could make a smoothie blender.” Darcy paused, thinking. “Or already has and is just using it wrong.” That seemed likely. But if they hadn't she was totally bringing it back.

“Other than craving a smoothie, what brought this on?”

Darcy made a face. She turned away from Jane and they started ambling down the bridge again. “I've been a little homesick and I thought going back to Earth would help. Like, eat some greasy fast food, get into a pair of jeans, talk to someone else whose age didn't have four digits. But, like...” She trailed off and sighed. “It didn't. Of course, being kidnapped probably didn't help, and then the fact that, like, I had more security than I thought I would.”

“Darcy?” Darcy looked over to see a small smile on Jane's face. “I don't know if you've realized yet, but you're kind of a big deal.”

“Here, yeah. But Earth? I mean...” She made a face again. “Well, I am now, or whatever.” Because she was pretty positive that even if she tried to be all stealth about it, SHIELD would know the next time she landed on Earth and wouldn't let her be anonymous at all.

“You're happier now, though.” Jane was giving her a very pointed look.

“Yeah.” Darcy nodded slowly, thinking about it. She had felt a little bit better about the whole thing since they'd Bifrosted back to Asgard. “I guess I am.”

At length they reached the palace, and Jane let go of her hand and moved away, off to do something or another. Darcy made her way through to her rooms, intent on changing out of her dress. Because if she was just going to be hanging out and doing nothing, she was going to be _comfortable_. And also the magic ass effect.

Her husband was in his office, sitting in front of the computer terminal. He looked up as she entered, pulling himself up to his feet when he saw who it was. His gaze moved over her and his eyebrow raised faintly, but he didn't question her choice of clothes.

He wasn't wearing his armor, so it was a lot more comfortable when she moved across the room and tucked herself against his chest. His arms settled warmly around her, holding her close for a long moment.

When at last he pulled away, he regained his seat on his chair and drew her down to sit across his thighs. “What brings my wife to my side?”

“Well, more on top of you.” She grinned at him, and his expression softened a little. “Fandral got off okay, he seems to be looking forward to spending some more time on Midgard.”

“I imagine he is.” There was a twinkle of amusement in his blue eye.

“What are you doing?” Darcy dropped her eyes down to the computer terminal.

“Preparing for the Odinsleep.” Oh right. _That_ was coming up again. It wasn't so bad. He would go and get snuggly in his big bed, the shield thing would come up around him to keep him safe, and then it was just a matter of waiting for him to wake up again. Darcy would have a computer terminal brought in there, she got a lot of reading done while he was out.

“Your son knows, right?” At his nod, she nodded too. “I was thinking of suggesting that he go down and visit Midgard for a bit, I guess when you wake up. Sort of help Fandral acclimatize, visit friends, all that sort of thing.”

He regarded her for a moment before turning his attention back to the screen. “A wise idea.”

“Of course! That's sort of my thing.” She nestled her head against his shoulder as he went back to work, just sitting with him for a while. “Hey,” she said at last. “So I've been thinking.” Her fingers trailed over the tunic over the back of his neck. “When you do finally step down and your son takes the throne forever, maybe I could stick around? I mean,” she rushed on, her eyes fixed on his beard. “I like it here, it kinda feels like home, and you're a pretty interesting guy to hang out with.”

Odin took her hand from where it was resting against her thigh and lifted it up to his mouth, his lips warm against her skin. “My queen is always welcome wherever I am.”

She looked up at him and leaned forward to touch her lips against his. Yeah, Asgard could be home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! Thanks for reading and giving such an obscure pairing a shot! :D


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